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Blackening Stainless Steel

drackeo

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Hey i just got a stainless steel mech mod. But it doesnt match anything i have lol. I think that it would look sick AF blacked out only thing is idk how to go about blackening it any ideas?
 

Model_A_Ford

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no good options that I know of

spraypaint made for stainless, or maybe plasti-dip

Duracoat, Cerakote, Gun-Kote.. those sorta things would wear better but I doubt it will adhere right to stainless and it's crazy expensive and can be complicated to apply.

so I'd say rattlecan, it will suck so Citristrip that off and then buy a black mod
 

wally

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Im not sure but you might use gun blue it comes in a black form, You would have to be able to heat the metal in oven, I think it would work just make sure it is oil free no finger oils.
 

drackeo

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Im not sure but you might use gun blue it comes in a black form, You would have to be able to heat the metal in oven, I think it would work just make sure it is oil free no finger oils.

What is that? Never herd of it before.
 

drackeo

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no good options that I know of

spraypaint made for stainless, or maybe plasti-dip

Duracoat, Cerakote, Gun-Kote.. those sorta things would wear better but I doubt it will adhere right to stainless and it's crazy expensive and can be complicated to apply.

so I'd say rattlecan, it will suck so Citristrip that off and then buy a black mod

I was thinking maybe Plasti-dip but that peels off easlly.
 

Vapin4Joy

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Find a company where you live that does electroplating, have it plated in black chrome. The Black Crown is electroplated.
 

MrScaryZ

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Hey i just got a stainless steel mech mod. But it doesnt match anything i have lol. I think that it would look sick AF blacked out only thing is idk how to go about blackening it any ideas?
I have not seen this come up n a while you can use flame to change the color of some stainless steels.. It is very hit and miss and is fun and can be dangerous but then I started doing this a couple years ago.. I no longer do only due to lazyness ... It is possible to get all kinds of unique colors the issue has always been to keep the appearance with some kind of coating I used to use something called renasainace wax to semi semi seal the metal
 

f1r3b1rd

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Find a company where you live that does electroplating, have it plated in black chrome. The Black Crown is electroplated.
^^^^that sounds awesome right there!
 

MrScaryZ

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That sounds pricey XD
It is thats why there is nothing wrong with using the Flame method the end result is pretty close to the same the way of going about is different I.E electroplating vs Flame .
The best way to try it s get a propane torch and do s quick watch and get some scrap stainless.. I wish I still hads pics of the cool ones I have done
 

wally

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What is that? Never herd of it before.
Gun blue is used for blueing or blacking guns. It is a chemical you apply to very clean metal fot blueing or blacking guns. Some times you heat the metal to warm it and the chemical works better. The only other method would be to powder coat it, this and blueing are the only two coatings that would hold up. Now if you decide to have someone powder coat it you would have to tape the threaded ends because of the thickness of powder coating. Walmart or a gun shop should have the blueing.
 

wally

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Find a company where you live that does electroplating, have it plated in black chrome. The Black Crown is electroplated.
Electroplate is good too and you can look it up on utube to do it yourself. But I think blueing would be the best appication since he will probably do it it himself.
 

f1r3b1rd

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Disclamer:::::: I've never tried it nor do I know anyone who has.

I've seen some electroplate DIY kits at harbor freight tools for 30-35$
 

wally

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I checked in electroplating kits could not find anything in Harbor frieght but what i did find is there is some serious expenses unless you plan on doing this for people for a side job. I this the gun blueing and blacking kit is the best, cheapest, easyest way. In fact i may just do it to a few of mine. I like that color and years ago doing guns if you work with it you can achieve a light to dark color.
 

f1r3b1rd

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I checked in electroplating kits could not find anything in Harbor frieght but what i did find is there is some serious expenses unless you plan on doing this for people for a side job. I this the gun blueing and blacking kit is the best, cheapest, easyest way. In fact i may just do it to a few of mine. I like that color and years ago doing guns if you work with it you can achieve a light to dark color.
Holy Crap!!!!!
I just did a google search and I remember because I came close to trying it. Yeah must have been crappy;because they had some dooamahickey that ran on a 9v battery or some crap compared to what I just saw.
 

MrScaryZ

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Holy Crap!!!!!
I just did a google search and I remember because I came close to trying it. Yeah must have been crappy;because they had some dooamahickey that ran on a 9v battery or some crap compared to what I just saw.
Its not easy thats why using Flame makes the most sense it was the orignal way that metal was colored.. that shit is expensive and its not fucking easy as some think.. if one wants to blacken stainless the easiest route is to just grab a torch.. If you are using different metals than that is when the concept of "Bluing" came up..
 

wally

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Gun metal blueing is cheap and like i said you get better results when heating the blueing chemical. It only takes less than an hour and is easy holds up for ever.
 

Neunerball

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Its not easy thats why using Flame makes the most sense it was the orignal way that metal was colored.. that shit is expensive and its not fucking easy as some think.. if one wants to blacken stainless the easiest route is to just grab a torch.. If you are using different metals than that is when the concept of "Bluing" came up..
Torching would result in a bronze/blue color, depending on the applied heat.
 

MrScaryZ

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Gun metal blueing is cheap and like i said you get better results when heating the blueing chemical. It only takes less than an hour and is easy holds up for ever.
You can use Cold Bluing the point is simple Bluing is for many metals not just stainless steel...
You make it sound easy it is not to do it properly and its freaking dangerous as fuck because you are using caustic chemicals

http://www.finishing.com/faqs/blackoxide.html
 

Neunerball

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In general, powder coating would be the best choice.
 

MrScaryZ

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In general, powder coating would be the best choice.
depending on the result that one wants I know when I started looking into this years ago I realized every finish has its pro's and con's I myself thing a flamed black with the proper protective agent looks fantastic and the most natural not disagreeing just adding
 

Myk

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The only other method would be to powder coat it

The other method is black oxide. I gave a link to a cold kit above.
If anyone tries it I'd love to see how it turns out. I'd like a carbon steel black oxide, I just don't know how the stainless version ends up.

Gun bluing is not supposed to work on STAINLESS. Hot blue that it sounds like you're talking about part of the time is out of the scope of someone at home, gunsmiths have some pretty nice set ups to do that.
Even on small touch ups on CARBON STEEL those bottles of cold blue do a pretty crappy job sometimes and I have yet to find one that doesn't say "not for stainless" on the bottle.

Rust in that video means that wasn't STAINLESS.

Powder coating means sending it off. May as well try a flat black auto paint and bake it in the oven.
 

wally

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Here is the answer for stainless.
Short answer is yes you can blue stainless steel.
Brownells offers a chemical bluing compound called Oxynate 84 but this is a gunsmith hot tank solution it is not a cold blue.
 

Myk

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Here is the answer for stainless.
Short answer is yes you can blue stainless steel.
Brownells offers a chemical bluing compound called Oxynate 84 but this is a gunsmith hot tank solution it is not a cold blue.

So basically take it to a gunsmith :)

That may not be a bad option. Since they won't have to take it apart and put it together it may not be an outrageous cost.
 

wally

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So basically take it to a gunsmith :)

That may not be a bad option. Since they won't have to take it apart and put it together it may not be an outrageous cost.
Yes I agree, But it may be easy process i don't know I will look on the tube later to see if there is one.
 

wally

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I found videos on it and it would be good idea to take it to gunsmith because you have to have a heated, vented tank with circulation. Should not cost much and is beautifull black finish. Oxynate 84 method.
 

MrScaryZ

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So basically take it to a gunsmith :)

That may not be a bad option. Since they won't have to take it apart and put it together it may not be an outrageous cost.
Most Gunsmiths outsource their blackening so you could run into an expense as much as the cost of your mod
take a look at this PDF it shows all of the possible ways to color Stainless steel its fascinating that so much can be done to color metal
http://www.euro-inox.org/pdf/map/ColouringStainlessSteel_EN.pdf
 

Myk

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I found videos on it and it would be good idea to take it to gunsmith because you have to have a heated, vented tank with circulation. Should not cost much and is beautifull black finish. Oxynate 84 method.
It's the tanks that keep me from doing it.
Similar why I don't take up anodizing aluminum (which I could easily sell enough of to pay for everything and some).


Most Gunsmiths outsource their blackening so you could run into an expense as much as the cost of your mod
take a look at this PDF it shows all of the possible ways to color Stainless steel its fascinating that so much can be done to color metal
http://www.euro-inox.org/pdf/map/ColouringStainlessSteel_EN.pdf

The gunsmith I know does it. I assumed they all did since so much of their work is refinishing.
 

wally

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Myk

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I'm sacrificing a Vamo section. Non-iodized table salt in a mason jar and a little water.
If this works I have quite a few tanks that will get that treatment.
 

Model_A_Ford

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Nitriding would be nice, but I just mention that as a theoretical, it's not a practical suggestion.

So what are you trying with the salt? Trying to force a patina? I think vinegar or citric acid might force a slight patina depending on what sort of stainless it is, or it may not.
 

Myk

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Table salt isn't doing a thing. I may have some chromium but it's not something most people are going to have laying around. It's for tanning hides.
 

Ding

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I used a propane torch to heat some of mine.I can get a gold to a rich dark gun blue,depending on time on the piece.
 

Ding

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patina.jpg

doing a patina with non-iodized salt,amonia,baking soda and time.I tried but it didn't come out right.I also have KG coating,AKA gun coat.did a few with that.it holds up well to wear and heat
 

MrScaryZ

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I'm sacrificing a Vamo section. Non-iodized table salt in a mason jar and a little water.
If this works I have quite a few tanks that will get that treatment.[/QUOT
View attachment 35936

doing a patina with non-iodized salt,amonia,baking soda and time.I tried but it didn't come out right.I also have KG coating,AKA gun coat.did a few with that.it holds up well to wear and heat
Thats one of the few Patinas I like pretty cool
 

Valkyrie

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i could swear i saw a few that had been done by placing the completely broken down aromamizer. minus silicon grommets and tank, in the oven on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 to 450 degrees for a half an hour or so, checking frequently...but for the life of me cant seem to remember where i saw it...
 

drackeo

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View attachment 35936

doing a patina with non-iodized salt,amonia,baking soda and time.I tried but it didn't come out right.I also have KG coating,AKA gun coat.did a few with that.it holds up well to wear and heat

That looks great!!! :O
Stainless doesn't really petina tho right?
 

drackeo

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i could swear i saw a few that had been done by placing the completely broken down aromamizer. minus silicon grommets and tank, in the oven on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 to 450 degrees for a half an hour or so, checking frequently...but for the life of me cant seem to remember where i saw it...

If you can find that that would be easy to do lol.
 

drackeo

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Right now im thinking of taking a blow torch to it to get the golden to blue/purple rainbow effect. OR maybe just going ahead and painting it.... Unless i can petina it lmfao
 

Ding

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That looks great!!! :O
Stainless doesn't really petina tho right?
no,that is where the heat comes into play.That's how the colors that are from golden to almost black/blue come from.The "patinas" are mostly copper although I have heard some do brass,not so for me though.Had a brass M-16 mod that I tried,did not do well so I used gun kote on it.with the patina,you have to cover anything ya don't want patina'd,IE threads,inside, etc.Remember,they are a conductor from button to pin.I did a nemisis copper mod that came like a fire and ice color.Wish I remembered how I did it though.LOL.Practice,if you want to try this on spare pieces of copper.I usuall get mine from scrap/recycle yards or copper pluming pipe.Then once I get the "right patina mix" then I do my mod.
 

Ding

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Right now im thinking of taking a blow torch to it to get the golden to blue/purple rainbow effect. OR maybe just going ahead and painting it.... Unless i can petina it lmfao
Don't get too close or too hot.work into the piece slowly and move it.Golden is a short time on the piece,bluer is longer on the piece.You don't want to see red on the piece,if that happens,you done screwed the pooch.LOL google some how too's,give ya an idea of what yu are up against....have fun and good luck
 

Ringmasterdan

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If you don't mind a rubber like feeling I'm pretty sure they sell spray on bed lining for trucks...
 

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